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Another Boycott Success: Ahern and McDonnell abandon home possession cases in Louth

(Above: the Louth County Court, Dundalk)

Further to our article a number of weeks ago in which we updated readers on our Boycott campaign of legal firms in Dundalk acting on behalf of banks in home possession cases, it would appear the main culprits in the County have taken heed of our polite warnings. Ahern and McDonell, with a partner married to the County Registrar, is no longer on the Circuit Court listings and have sent letters to a number of our members outlining that they are no longer involved in their cases.

Hot on the heels of the committment given only last week to the National Land League by Davitt & Davitt Estate Agents to not sell repossessed homes, farms or businesses, this latest news is both uplifting and a vindication of the national strategy of peaceful but assertive boycott. The national boycott of K-Tech security is ongoing and a press release on developments is expected soon.

The Louth Land League, bouyed by their recent success, intend to identify what local legal firms continue to act for banks seeking possession of family homes in their area and to apply the same methods over the coming months. At a national level, the Provisional Executive call for members in all areas to do the same. A copy of the introductory boycott letter to be sent to all local legal firms is posted below for your ease of use....

"F.A.O – Local Legal Firm The National Land league of Ireland

Your Local Branch

Re: Introduction Descriptor of the National Land League of Ireland and Request for Boycott Solidarity

To Whom It May Concern,

We write in furtherance of decisions made at the most recent local meeting of our Land League members. It was decided at that meeting that we write to formally introduce the the National Land League to you as a local Legal Firm and to outline the voluntary work we do and our peaceful intentions. It was also decided at that same recent meeting that we communicate to all local Legal Firms a request that you refrain from working on behalf of banks/financial institutions seeking “Possession Orders” on family homes.

The National Land League of Ireland has established throughout the nation as local branches. The central objective of the League is to assist and support homeowners at risk of losing their homes through mortgage debt collection processes, from the point that home owners fall into arrears, throughout the MARP and negotiation stages, to prosecution by lenders and enforcement by agents of the Courts accompanied by private security personnel.

To this end we have amassed a sizable body of knowledge in terms of building the confidence and skills in people to defend themselves. Our assistance is manifest in regular public and member meetings, correspondence workshops, Mckenzie be-friending, educational programmes, a monthly newsletter (3,000 copies distributed locally in November) and so on. Our belief is that our assistance not only addresses the practical elements of defending the home, but also the stress, depression and anxiety felt by so many that are brought before our courts by lending institutions.

Accompanying the educational and advocacy functions of the National Land League, we are also pro-active in our efforts to dissuade national and local firms from assisting lending institutions throughout the “repossession” process. We include in our list of firms: Legal professionals and firms; security companies; Locksmiths; Estate Agents and Receivers. Our efforts in this regard are entirely peaceful and rely upon a strategy of initially negotiating with the identified professionals and firms, and where negotiation fails, mounting an escalating, peaceful boycott centred on the question......

“Do you want the long term business of your community or short term, morally degenerate trade from the “repossession” industry?”

We do not wish or expect that you receive this correspondence as a threat, veiled or otherwise. It is simply a notice to the effect that we are communicating with all local Legal Firms requesting that they desist from engaging in work that involves the prosecution of applications for possession of family homes. Those firms which do accept such business will be boycotted. All firms that refuse such work will be promoted. Boycotting involves publicising non-conforming firms as profiting from the eviction industry, and a call for the public to provide their local legal business to firms that are not engaged in the prosecution of homeowners.

Although we do not expect or require a response to this correspondence, replies are welcome and may be sent to our email address....

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Local League court observers are mandated at County level to identify legal firms in compliance and non-compliance with our request.